Ryan McLeod and Kailer Yamamoto have both been great in Oiler camp and have survived another round of cuts, and Alex Chiasson has brought physicality and energy and has also looked good. Right now we have 16 forwards in camp and the three aforementioned guys have complicated things.

Conversely, none of Jerabek/Garrison/Gravel have looked good enough to stay at this level.

Your youngish #6 depth defenceman that can play at the NHL level and is maybe buried behind better players. Maybe you’ve had a rookie that’s impressed and surpassed someone, and you don’t want to risk losing him on waivers for nothing?

We have squat for cap space so the player coming back can’t exceed the cap hit of the player going out (Kassian 1.95, Caggiula 1.5, Aberg 650k)

I thought Gravel looked fairly decent for you guys when I watched him. Thought he's be a good depth guy.

For the Canes, every time I see McKeown play, I come away impressed, yet it's a numbers game in Carolina. Seems like he'd be a guy to take a chance on even if he has only played a handful of NHL games. Might not be what you are looking for.

Caggiula and Kassian really don't do anything for me though in terms of a return though. Don't know enough about Aberg.

Lost me with "Alex Chiasson has brought physicality and energy and has also looked good". I think that more likely speaks to the quality of wingers in EDM than Alex Chiasson transitioning into a useful player. Maybe I am wrong.

Lost me with "Alex Chiasson has brought physicality and energy and has also looked good". I think that more likely speaks to the quality of wingers in EDM than Alex Chiasson transitioning into a useful player. Maybe I am wrong.

Click to expand...

He’s legitimately been good. Can’t speak to his time with other teams, but he’s been quick, engaged, and hard on pucks. It’s less that he’s been better than a guy like Kassian (although he absolutely has) and more that he could provide roughly the same impact for a third of the cost.

I thought Gravel looked fairly decent for you guys when I watched him. Thought he's be a good depth guy.

For the Canes, every time I see McKeown play, I come away impressed, yet it's a numbers game in Carolina. Seems like he'd be a guy to take a chance on even if he has only played a handful of NHL games. Might not be what you are looking for.

Caggiula and Kassian really don't do anything for me though in terms of a return though. Don't know enough about Aberg.

Click to expand...

Gravel I thought was decent also, I thought he’d be fine as a 7. Jerabek has been really bad but is somehow still hanging around.

McKeown wouldn’t be a bad pickup but I’m not sure we have much to move that would be worth your time.

I’d think about it. Does he have any more upside than a 6/7 or has that ship sailed?

Click to expand...

Replacing the Doug Weight "lol defense?" system with Trotz might be the spark Mayfield needs to become a top-6 defensive D. The term is what drives most Islander fans to want to trade him - he's signed for 5 more NHL seasons, albeit at a very low $1.45M cap hit if he can become a 4-5.

Replacing the Doug Weight "lol defense?" system with Trotz might be the spark Mayfield needs to become a top-6 defensive D. The term is what drives most Islander fans to want to trade him - he's signed for 5 more NHL seasons, albeit at a very low $1.45M cap hit if he can become a 4-5.

Click to expand...

...5 more seasons? Yikes. That’s a lot of term, not sure I’d want to absorb that much.

Lost me with "Alex Chiasson has brought physicality and energy and has also looked good". I think that more likely speaks to the quality of wingers in EDM than Alex Chiasson transitioning into a useful player. Maybe I am wrong.

Click to expand...

He has been better than Caggiula and Kassian as 4th line RW.
I think the Oilers will sign Gravel to be their #7 Dman. Rather have him in the PB than someone like Bear or Bouchard.

Mayyyyyybe. The other option would be to play Bear or Bouchard. Not sure I’m high enough on Carrick.

Click to expand...

once we have it settled who's making the team, there should be some depth to make a deal. looks like just a #6 and #7 spot available for Carrick, Borgman, Rosen, Ozhiganov, Holl. I don't think all of those guys will end up being NHL caliber but probably more of them than we currently need will. Carrick is a safe NHL'er imo, low ceiling but always generates good possession numbers in a 3rd pairing role, that role has been pretty sheltered so far. He's little but spent a lot of the summer in a crazy workout program, he's probably our defenseman who's most apt to fight and doesn't shy away from contact, but he'll always be 5'10"